THE VEIL

During the second Vatican Council, a mob of reporters waited for
news after a council meeting. One of them asked Msgr. Annibale Bugnini,
then secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship, if women
still had to wear a headcover in the churches. His response was that
the Bishops were considering other issues, and that women’s veils were
not on the agenda.

The next day, the international press announced throughout the world
that women did not have to wear the veil anymore. A few days later,
Msgr. Bugnini told the press he was misquoted and women must still had
to wear the veil. But the Press did not retract the error, and many
women stopped wearing the veil as out of confusion and because of
pressure from feminist groups.

Before the revision in 1983, Canon law had stated that women must
cover their heads "...especially when they approach the holy table"
(can.1262.2). But in order to reduce such a growing collection of
books, the new version of Canon law was subjected to concise changes.
In the process, mention of head coverings was omitted.

In 1970, Pope Paul VI promulgated the Roman Missal, ignoring mention
of women’s veils. But at the time the missal was published, it didn’t
seem necessary to keep mandatory such an obvious and universal
practice, even if it no longer had a "normative" value (Inter
insigniores, # 4).

And mention in Canon law or the Roman Missal is not necessary to the
continuation of the tradition, for it is rooted in Scripture and has
been practiced ever since the early Church. Indeed, Pope John Paul II
affirmed that the real sources of Canon law are the Sacred Tradition,
especially as reflected in the ecumenical councils, and Sacred
Scripture (O.S.V. Catholic Encyclopedia, p. 169).

Sacred Scripture presents several reasons for wearing the veil. St.
Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians (11: 1-16) that we
must cover our heads because it is a Sacred Tradition commanded by our
Lord Himself and entrusted to Paul: "The things I am writing to you are
the Lord’s commandments" (1Cor. 14:37).

God has established a hierarchy, in both the natural and the
religious spheres, in which the female is subject to the male. St. Paul
writes in 1st. Corinthians: "But I would have you know that the head of
every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head
of Christ is God (1 Cor. 11-3).

And, in the institution of marriage, God gave the husband authority
over the wife, but responsibility to her as well. Not only is he the
family’s decision-maker, but he is also responsible for the material
and spiritual welfare of his wife and children. Man is not in this
position to enslave or belittle the wife.

As the Bride (the Church) is subject to Jesus, women must wear the
veil as a sign that they are subjected to men: "Let wives be subject to
their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is head of the wife,
just as Christ is head of the Church." (Eph. 5, 22-23) The man
represents Jesus, therefore he should not cover his head.

However, this subjection is not derogatory to women, because in
God’s kingdom everyone is subjected to a higher authority:

"For as the woman is from the man, so also is the man
through the woman, but all things are from God." (1 Cor.11,12).

Furthermore, the symbolism of the veil takes that which is invisible,
the order established by God, and makes it visible. In the history of
the Church, priestly vestments have played a similar symbolic role.

It is an honor to wear the veil. But by publicly repudiating it, a
woman dishonors her feminine dignity, her sign of female subjection,
just as the military officer is dishonored when he is stripped of his
decorations.

The Roman Pontifical contains the imposing ceremonial of the
consecration of the veils:

"Receive the sacred veil, that thou mayst be known to have
despised the world, and to be truly, humbly, and with all thy heart
subject to Christ as his bride; and may he defend thee from all evil,
and bring thee to life eternal" (Pontificale Romanum; de benedictione)

St. Paul says an unveiled woman is a dishonor: "But every woman praying
or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is
the same as if she were shaven" (1Cor.11,5).

"That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of
the angels" wrote St. Paul in 1 Cor. 11,10. The invisible hierarchy
should be respected because the Angels are present at Christian
liturgical assemblies, offering with us the Holy Sacrifice with the
honor due to God. St. John the Apostle wrote:

"And another Angel came and stood before the altar, having
a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense that he might
offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which
is before the throne." ( Rev. 8:3, see also Matt. 18:10.)

They are offended by a lack of reverence at mass, just as they abhorred
King Herod’s acceptance of adoration from the people of Jerusalem:

"But immediately an angel of the Lord struck (Herod) down,
because he had not given honor to God, and he was eaten by worms, and
died." (Acts, 12:23).

The custom of wearing the veil was maintained in the primitive
Churches of God. (1Cor.11:16). We see this in the first letter of Paul
to the Corinthians. The women of Corinth beset by modern sensibilities,
started coming to church without their heads covered. When St. Paul
heard of their neglect, he wrote and urged them to keep the veil.
According to St. Jerome’s commentary Bible, he finally settled the
matter by saying head covering was a custom of the primitive
communities of Judea, "the Churches of God" (1 Thess.2-14, 2Thess.1-4),
which had received this Tradition from early times (2 Thess.2:15. 3:6).

Even today some people erroneously believe that St. Paul based the
tradition on his personal opinion. They think he did not intend it to
be continued in the Universal church, but only as a local custom. This
argument, however, does not conform to the Pauline spirit. After all,
it was Paul who stood before Peter to change Jewish traditions in
Christian Churches (Gal.2:11-21).

St. Paul reminds them: "for I did not receive it from man, nor was I
taught it; but I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ"
(Gal.1:12), referring to the authority of his ministry, and veracity of
his words. Pope Linus who succeeded St. Peter, enforced also the same
tradition of women covering their heads in the church (The primitive
church, TAN.) Our Lord warns us to obey his commandments: "He therefore
that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach
men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.5:19).

In summary, the reasons that St. Paul advises women to cover their
heads in the church are:

Our Lord commanded it;

It is a visible sign of an invisible order established by God;

The Angels at mass are offended if women don’t use it;

It is a ceremonial vestment;

It is our heritage.

Christian women around the world have other reasons to wear a hat,
mantilla, rebozo, gele, scarf, shawl, or veil. Some wear it out of
respect to God; others, to obey the Pope’s request, or continue family
traditions.But the most important reason of all is because Our Lord
said: "If you love me keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

We should always be ready with our bridal veils, waiting for him and
the promised wedding (Apoc.22:17), following the example of our Blessed
Mother Mary, who never appeared before the eyes of men but properly
veiled.

To those who still think that the veil is an obsolete custom,
remember that: "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today, yes, and
forever" (Heb.13:8).